Detachable fastener



May 22 1923. 4 1,456,118

C. F. S. BILBROUGH DETACHABLE FASTENER Filed May 10 1920' Patented May 22, 1923.

sates.

DETACHAELE FAS'IENER.

Application filed May 10, 1920. Serial No. 380.351.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES FRANCIS STANHOPE BILBROUGH, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resident of Burnham-on-Crouch, county of Essex, England, have invented a certain new. and useful Improvement in Detachable Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to detachable fasteners for securing buttons, hooks, eyes and the like, and has for its object a more secure method of holding the same, while permitting of their release when desired. The invention is adaptable to hooks and eyes, when the latter are provided with suitable vertical tongues or loops.

The fasteners to which the invention relates are of the kind comprising a loop which resiliently holds together two legs extending from the loop, whereby the legs have a place of yielding engagement at the entrance to the loop, the device being so formed that the eye of the button may be passed on to one leg, then pass the place of engagement, then round the loop, and then again past the place of engagement to a suitable retaining place beyond.

In the detachable fastener according to the present invention, the legs of the loop are held resiliently together by the latter at two places of. engagement, the one between the loop and an eye-retaining gap between the legs, and the other beyond the gap, the leg on to which the button eye is passed from the loop being formed to restrain detachment of the button, as by being returned on itself to form a second loop and a second retaining gap acting in conjunction with the first one, and being terminated by an enlarged end to serve as a stop. The beginning of the leg on to which the button-eye is first passed is conveniently bent into a hook-shape so as to readily enter the eye of the button. I

In order that my invention may be more readily understood, I have shown two embodiments of the same in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a View of a complete fastener.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing a modification of the invention.

Herein I provide a stem A constructed of: springy or resilient metal, such as metal wire, of oval section and of suitable size. One end of the stem I turn or bend round in the form'of a curved or angular loop or ring B (preferably curved as shown) and further. bend the wire so as to engage or lie against thefstem A, forming the resilient arm C which is provided at approximately its centre with the recess D. I may then bend the wire round in the form of a curve E. The extreme end F of curve E maybe, pointed so as more readily to enter thefeye of the button or. the like. i

The two parts of the resilient arm C which lie on each side of the recess D form pro jections H constructed to retain, when desired, the eye, of the button in the, recess D. The other end of the stem I bend to form an angular or curved bend, such as J, and the wire may then be further bent to lie parallel to and alongside the stem A, and be provided with the recess D which is opposite recess D, and thus may form a second resilient arm similar to C, and for a like purpose. It may be provided with similar projections G H which act in conjunction with G, H in retaining the eye of the button on the stem A by confining this eye in the recesses D, D The extreme end K is enlarged, flattened or so otherwise constructed as to prevent the eye of the button passing over it. To permit the eye of the button being more readily passed round the ring B, I allow a suitable distance between the end K and the ring B as shown.

The operation of my device is as follows:

The point F is passed through the eye of the button and the eye is then passed or threaded over the whole of the arm C round the ring B and past the projection G, on to approximately the central part of the stem A where it enters the, recess D. It may also enter the recess D when two resilient arms are employed. The arms yield under pressure to permit of the button eye being passed under them, closing a ain when the pressure is removed, so that wien the said eye is in its normal position on the stem A, one or both of the sides of the eye is or are retained in the said recess or recesses until pressure is applied to pass it over the aforesaid projections.

' Should the button eye he accidentally forced out of its normal position in the recess D or recesses D, D and become threaded on the ring B or the curvedpart J, gravity tends to bring the device into an approximately vertical position and thus tends to stop any further give in the resiliextending from the loop being disposed parallel, one of the'same being provided with a keeper eye, said leg members both terminatmg 1n outwardly extending sem1-c1rv cular portions, one of said semi-circular p'or tions terminating in apenetrating point and the other of said portions terminating in a holding finger provided with a keeper rece'ss.

2. A detachable fastenerof the class described: including a' body wire having a straight portion formed at one end into a loop whereby the said body wire may be bent back upon itself to provide a portion parallel to the straight portion, and the said parallel portion having a keeper recess, and the ends of said parallel portions being bent outwardly to form semi-circular 'por-c tions, one of said semi-circular p'ortions being provided with a penetrating point and the other beingprovided with a finger having a keeper recess ada'ptedtobe v1ocated opposite the keeper recess of the said parallel member.

3. vA detachable fastener of the class described consisting of a body wire having its end portions bent to opposite sides-thereof to provide leg members for resiliently engaging with. opposite sides of the body wire, and both'of said leg portionsgbeing provided with] a laterally ofisetkeeper] eye :torming portions registering at opposite sides of the bodywire to receive albutton loop-and one of said leg inembersbeing provided with a penetrating point.-

In testimonyv 'whereof I have-hereunto afiixed my signature this 17 day otApril,

=' HARLES FRANCIS smmiors minnows, 

